Liverpool and Inter Milan have joined the list of potential suitors for David Silva.
Reports suggest that Silva only having two years left on his contract has alerted clubs to his potential availability. Although, City are keen to extend his contract for at least another year with talks going ahead currently. He is a crucial part of Pep Guardiola’s system as one of the ‘free-eights’ alongside Kevin De Bruyne.
At 31-years-old, he is probably at the peak of his powers. City also have plenty of potential long-term replacements for him. Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden are the main ones that come to mind. Although, neither of them are ready to step into that role just yet. Bernardo is adjusting to the Premier League and is more a wide playmaker than a traditional ‘number 10’, currently. This is important because De Bruyne and Silva were both ‘number 10’s’ prior to the role switch. Foden would suit that role, but he is only 17 so he is still quite raw and has much to learn.
For the next few years, Silva’s place is safe, which is deserved considering his importance and longevity at the club. However, City are definitely envisioning a future without him. His time in England has been successful, but he hasn’t received the credit he deserves. He is an understated presence, similar to his compatriot Andrés Iniesta, even though his creativity and ability to retain possession in the final third has been key to the team’s success.
Liverpool or Inter?
If Silva does leave in 2019 or signs an extension and leaves in 2020, which club would be best for him? Jürgen Klopp is an admirer of the Spaniard, and bringing him in would definitely benefit the team. He is the ideal kind of player for breaking down an organised deep block, which Liverpool often struggle with.
However, they already have Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana as their playmakers. Coutinho is likely to leave in the next year, but they will still have a stacked midfield with the arrival of Naby Keïta in the summer.
Liverpool’s style doesn’t suit Silva either especially considering his age and the energy levels required. Klopp relies on counter-pressing and high pressing to break through the opposition. This requires high work-rate from the forwards and midfielders in order to keep pressure on the ball due to them being the first lines of defence. Silva is used to dictating the tempo of a game and using patient short-passing play to cut through the opposition, which is completely at odds with Liverpool’s style.
Inter Milan would be a much better fit for Silva especially considering they aren’t one of City’s main rivals. Serie A has a slower tempo than the Premier League with patience being key in order to create an opening. I Nerazzurri, under Luciano Spalletti, like to patiently progress up the pitch through smart positional play and the creation of passing triangles. His ability to break the lines and pass into space behind the defence suits this style perfectly.
It’s also an enticing proposition because Inter look like they are on the rise under Spalletti. They are currently third but are only two points behind leaders Napoli in a highly competitive Serie A campaign.
Next: Can Inter bring back the days of glory?
Other potential suitors?
Inter’s city rivals AC Milan are another team chasing Silva. They had an exciting transfer window as they basically bought a full starting XI. However, they are struggling under Vincenzo Montella and the finances of the Chinese owners aren’t the most stable. They could be *the* team to join in a few seasons time depending on how their project goes, but currently they aren’t that enticing.
Fenerbahçe are the other major team that have been linked with the Spanish playmaker. However, it’s unlikely that he would move to the Turkish league considering he has offers from teams in the top five European leagues.